Latest News | 7 January 2021
QUAD's five-figure arts grant boost for FORMAT
Mixed arts venue QUAD has been awarded a £40,000 grant to support the delivery of the FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby.
The Market Place centre for art and film has been given the Art Fund cash to develop an innovative online venue as a part of the festival.
The new virtual and multi-player space will present exhibitions, events and participation initially for the next edition of FORMAT, which will launch on 11th March.
The exhibitions will include more than 70 international artists and a selection of the 38,000 images submitted from over 90 countries from the #massisolationFORMAT archive created during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An important part of the project is to research social engagement online and to ensure access for diverse audiences.
To help deliver the project, QUAD has partnered with a team of artist technologists called New Art City, based in Los Angeles.
The support of the Art Fund will also cover Covid-19 safety requirements, including additional staffing, PPE, deep cleaning and signage, to ensure the public can feel safe and confident when visiting the festival.
It will also allow FORMAT to showcase national and international projects at venues including QUAD and Derby Museum and Art Gallery, as well as more unusual spaces such as Derby Market Hall, car parks and empty shops.
Louise Fedotov-Clements, artistic director at QUAD and director for FORMAT, said: “We are immensely proud to receive support from the Art Fund, which will enable us to push the boundaries of our work, to develop our new programmes online, in such an innovative way in collaboration with an inspiring team of technologists.
“Together with my programme team at QUAD/FORMAT, we will be building an arts space of the future for audiences to explore today.”
Debbie Cooper, producer of FORMAT, said “This support from the Art Fund enables us to deliver the highest quality festival experience at time when we all need art in our lives.
“And knowing that we can deliver in Derby and online is incredibly exciting, enabling us to connect to our local, national and international audiences.
“We want everyone to be part of FORMAT21 in Derby and online.”
QUAD’s cash is an Art Fund Respond and Reimagine grant, which offers flexible and responsive funding to help museums adapt to the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis and reimagine future ways of working.
